-- OneTahiti

West Roane County Volunteer Fire Department reminds us to "change our batteries when we change our clocks."

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging consumers to replace the batteries in their smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms this weekend for Daylight Saving Time. This year, Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 11.

Excellent manure for your gardens, 100% nature, no fillers (sawdust or the like), perfect for gardeners who desire excellent manure with a rich dark and fine texture.

I have used this manure for many years on gardens, around trees (instead of mulch) and in my flowers. Elephant ears grow to champion size plants, trees grow at rapid rates with strength, and gardens produce excellent quality veggies.

We have heaping piles of this special blend and will load a pick-up for you at $50 per load --- Cannot beat the quality.

Please call: 248.8044 Ask for Dennis... known as Dennis' special blend!

Seriously!!!

According to a recent Science Daily article (Link...), researchers have found that scented liquid laundry detergents and dryer sheets emit "hazardous chemicals, including two that are classified as carcinogens."

The fix is easy: switch to unscented laundry detergent such as All Free--the "unscented" Tide still has an odor--and stop using dryer sheets.

-- OneTahiti

Photo by A.S., used with permission. Taken from my yard in West Roane County.

-- OneTahiti

When you change your clocks this weekend, be sure to check your smoke alarms as well. Also, change the batteries in all alarms with 9V batteries.

-- OneTahiti

The Chattanooga Times Free Press has the story: Link...

Apparently garbage and a lack of cleanliness may be to blame.

I hope Roane County cleans up lest the rats move north.

-- OneTahiti

Kingston's annual Autumn Country Fair will be held Saturday, October 2, at Fort Southwest Point. For more information, see: Link...

-- OneTahiti

Entries for the Kingston Autumn Country Fair are due October 1 between 3PM and 5:30PM in the "big white tent" at Fort Southwest Point in Kingston, Tennessee. For a list of the categories and more information, see: Link...

-- OneTahiti

My family, like so many others in the South, has a tradition of eating black-eyed peas--in actuality a type of bean--on New Year's Day. We didn't eat them the rest of the year because, well, if truth be told, none of us liked them.

So who do you call...Greg Blanks of course!

I've only had two experiences with Blanks Tree Work, but both have been fantastic!

I did this blog post about my most recent encounter with the Blanks crew. CLICK HERE!

The first time I called Greg, I wanted a big beech tree trimmed near my house. He refused to cut the tree! That impressed me...he actually loves trees and will talk you out of cutting a tree if he determines it is not causing, or will not cause, any trouble. I liked that...it shows me he is in the business NOT just to make a living.

Thanks to the entire Blanks crew who came, did a great job, cleaned up their mess, and left only after shaking my hand and asking if everything was satisfactory.

They're in the book!

Never mind.

We are still looking for lead-free Christmas lights. Does anyone have any news? It's been years.

I mowed the yard Tuesday. The grass has stopped growing but my primary purpose was to mulch the fallen leaves that have accumulated since my mom has been sick. Normally, I try to keep up with the number of leaves in order to avoid them damming up in front of the mower, but having to be with mom during her resent illness prevented me from doing things normally. So, the leaves at times pushed up in front, making the wheels of the mower stop and the stirring impossible. I’ve learned to push them off to the edge of the yard and create little piles. Backing out of the pile, I can resume my trip around the yard until it happens again.

I say all this to tell you that I’m sick again…it’s that tree/leaf/mold allergy that I have developed over the years. I know the consequences of mowing the yard, but someone has to do it, and I’ve been at it about 7 to 8 months out of each of the last 40 something years! However, even though I’m now taking allergy shots twice a week, two shots a visit, I still have this affliction and I’m about over it!

More on this tale at MUSHY'S MOOCHINGS!

If you live in the Harriman area and would be interested in giving me an estimate, send me an email to fuzzbert_1999 at Yahoo!

Many of us mountain living types indigenous to this blessed part of the world love our rhododenrons, don't we? And why not? They're grand!

A recent study by the US Forest Services shows they may be culprits in landslides - especially after the kind of weather we've been experiencing lately. Read more: Link...

RB

Does anyone have a great recipe for Kudzu Jelly?!

If you don't have an old family recipe, just click on the embedded link to find one!

Apparently giving berries a brief hot bath can sharply reduce spoilage from mold: Link...

Sounds good to me! :) We love our good local strawberries but always have to eat them quickly.

-- OneTahiti

"Scientists are reporting for the first time that the use of weed killers in farmers' fields boosts the nutritional value of an important food a crop. Application of two common herbicides to several varieties of sweet corn significantly increased the amount of key nutrients termed carotenoids in the corn kernels, according to a new study."

Details at: Link...

Wow!

RB

It turns out that besides rotting teeth and contributing to user obesity, Coca Cola has a beneficial use for gardeners. According to a recent news item in an agricultural journal, many farmers in India have been using Coca-Cola as a pesticide for at least five years. Britains's Guardian reported that Gotu Laxmaiah, a farmer from Andra Pradesh is delighted with his cola spray. "I observed that the pests began to die after the soft drink was sprayed on my cotton," he said. He and others say their cola spray is invaluable because it does not need to be diluted, is many times cheaper than conventional pesticides, and is safer to handle by a country mile.

We have been dining on homemade chicken soup made with one of Broadened Horizons Organic Farm's happy free-range hens and some organic Peruvian purple potatoes (and some other vegetables). I can only say "Wow!" and a hearty "Thank you!" to both Farmer Leaf and the hen.

The hen was extremely flavorful, far more than any supermarket chicken I've ever tasted. This was one fantastic-tasting chicken!

Any biologist out there that can answer a question ?

Are scorpions native to this area? Doing a little work up at the "head of the holler" and un-earthed what appeared to be a scorpion. It was actually under a rock near the road. Just curious if he lives here year round, or was dropped off simply travelling by. Of course, no camera available at the time. He did raise his tail in a defensive stance and it worked. It scared me off. By the time the camera was retrieved, he was gone.

DLH

There's a tornado warning for Roane County. Check your favorite weather source for ongoing details. TNSkywarn is a good place to start: Link...

Last night and this morning we had some rural fun. It became increasingly evident that something had inconveniently gone on to its maker under our porch. [I am sure it was even more inconvenient for the 'possum.]

Almost every day new photos are added. Some days the collection gets edited down. Today they are helicopter shots of the "new and better" Swan Pond interim storm drainage (the plans are only on the TDEC website) and I don't know what pile of ash in the X lakeshore baylet.

Link

If Kingston had ash in their water intake, what was going on at the Rockwood water intake that really is downstream?
Just curious.

Here are the URL and an HTML file or three to the TVA TDEC files
The posts are on line at:
Link...
The TVA00000001 type numbers are page numbers. The file name is often the first page of a multi page file.
I had to make an index or table of content file in html.
To use the HTML files:
Download to someplace you will be able to find them, like your desktop.
In your browser, pulldown the "file" tab to "open"
Click on "browse". Find and double click on the name of the HTML file, or click on the file and "OK"
Click on "OK" or "OPEN" in the file open dialog box.
any problems call four one five nine 0 two nine six, six six
If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer 7, it will open a new window with the index, but the TVA .pdf files may be displayed in the original window. If this bothers you, try downloading IE8.
I got lazy and put the last two data releases 2009 Apr 10 and 2009 Apr 16 in separate HTML files.
There are some files on the TDEC site that aren't on the TVA site.
If you know exactly what you are looking for, please comment with your request.
Thanks
WC has my respect for staying on top off the fact pile on the ash pile. TVA seems to have stacked the data as carefully as they stacked the ash.
Sorry if this sounds stiff, I just got up.
Charlie

I don't know how to write this.
It started with the daily check for stories about ash and Roane OR Tennessee etc.
I tripped over this article in the Huffington post.
Link...
But, that's not the point…
It was the link for…
"...a whole array of new studies suggests that U.S. coal reserves could begin declining within 20 years (not quite the "300 year supply" the industry touts)."
Link...
which should have been
Link...
But, that's not the point…
Following the original incorrect post lead me to...
Link...
"… Chris Nelder has a fairly accessible summary of the report; Link...
"Oil Drum has a slightly more detailed and technical summary; Link...
"but the best place to get a perspective on what this could mean is this piece from peak oil guru Richard Heinberg. Link...
"I hesitate to attempt to summarize Heinberg's thoughts -- it really is worth reading the whole thing. …"
The point is some reporters have been trying since 2005 to call our attention to (In my words) "not only is there no such thing as clean coal, there is no such thing as coal for the next few hundred years (Try Twenty!)"
It struck me that God has set things up so that folk who embrace reducing fossil fuel consumption now, will be set when the coal and natural gas and oil run out…?
OK, I'm nuts.

"Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged."

Last weekend's National Weather Service increased fire weather statement has been continued into this week: Link...

-- OneTahiti

Roane County has been in a drought for years, a very long time. Last week our drought level finally slipped back to "none." For a map of current Tennessee drought conditions, see: Link...

I hope this lasts. Twenty years ago I remember it raining at least for a while nearly every day. It kept the forest moist and the air refreshed. I hope those days will come again.

articles by Farmer Leaf